


Biting Tongues

by cathema



Series: Early/Late [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Early/Late Series, M/M, omg i wrote a sex scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 14:20:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7466628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathema/pseuds/cathema
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are reasons why Tsukishima is doubtful and mistrusting. Kuroo understands this. But that doesn't make it any less painful for him when Tsukishima's doubts and sharp tongue cuts him deep.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Biting Tongues

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a sex scene! GASP. There will be more. Soon.
> 
> In the meantime, thank you for the support in my previous stories! I apologize for taking too long posting this. I neglect to remember that I had completed it some time ago. Watch out for more stories under the Early/Late Series, and then some outside that universe!

Tsukishima’s temperament was something Kuroo often found himself struggling with. The younger’s oft uncalled-for snaps irked Kuroo, but he knew better than to tell Tsukishima off for his emotional imbalance. He knew there were certain buttons not to push so early in the relationship.

But their conflicts usually surfaced from Tsukishima’s trust issues and it was something Kuroo could never do anything about despite it hurting him like hell.

“A relationship cannot be maintained without trust,” Kuroo often found himself repressed to say. He held his tongue from fear of losing Tsukishima if Kuroo wasn’t careful with his words, and it overpowered his frustrations on their hindered communication. Besides, Kuroo had never been in a relationship of any form prior to Tsukishima, and so he too was still in the process of learning how to adapt.

But Kuroo was having a close to horrible day after losing to Bokuto’s team at the semi-finals tournament and finding out Nekoma was facing Nohebi in just a few moments after. He was exhausted, frustrated, and anxious all at the same time, and he needed that 10 minute phone call with Tsukishima to lift his spirits.

“I don’t know why you’re so worried,” Tsukishima told him. “If they’re as bad as you say they are, then you’ll grab that last slot for sure.”

“It won’t be easy though,” Kuroo replied with a sigh. “Daishou’s a dirty son-of-a-bitch. We’ll be lucky if we make it through without any complications and injuries on our side.”

“I hope you don’t get hurt, at least.” Tsukishima enthused, bending his own fingers as he recalled Karasuno’s intense showdown with Shiratorizawa. “Oh, and I guess you can tell Bokuto-san that he has overwhelming victory over Ushijima, now that we’ve beaten him.”

Kuroo scoffed. “We don’t need to make his head any bigger. He won’t shut up about winning against us.” Kuroo paused to yawn. “Oh, speaking of Bokuto, he says he wants to come along the next time I see you.”

For a few seconds, Kuroo heard nothing from the other end of the phone. He checked the screen quickly to confirm whether the call dropped or not, and said, “Hello? You still there?”

“Bokuto-san knows?” Tsukishima spoke softly and slowly with unmistakable irritation.

“What? No, he just grabbed my phone before I could call you and he saw our photo together.” Kuroo rubbed the back of his head. “He didn’t speculate anything. You know how dense he is.”

“But he’s going to tell Akaashi-san,” Tsukishima answered back. “And then they’ll _both_ know.”

Kuroo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Alright, fine, it’s my fault, okay? I wasn’t careful, I’m sorry.”

Tsukishima scoffed. “What the fuck, Tetsurou.”

“What?” Kuroo replied almost too loudly.

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Kuroo sighed. “Don’t do this to me now, Kei.”

“Do what.”

“ _That!_ Being mad at me for something I didn’t do.” Kuroo resisted the urge to raise his voice. “Please, Kei, I’m having such a bad afternoon and I don’t need this to make it any worse.”

“Drop the call then,” Tsukishima seethed. “Unless you want everyone else to see that you’re talking to me. Might as well tell everyone you know about us. It’s what you want, isn’t it?”

In an instant, Kuroo snapped. “You know what your problem is, Kei? You don’t trust me at all. You get unnecessarily angry over the littlest and most meaningless of things, and I’m the one bending my back all the time to fix the petty arguments we have. Your immaturity is _frustrating_ , and I don’t know how much longer I have to endure it.”

Kuroo wondered if he said too much as he allowed himself to be so carried away with negative emotions, and he wanted to take it all back in an instant, until Tsukishima spat, “Break up with me then.”

Kuroo bit down on his lip hard. “You know, Kei, sometimes I wish I could.”

Pain and guilt jolted from within Kuroo’s chest, and he knew Tsukishima felt the same exact thing. No one uttered a single word. Kuroo closed his eyes. “I have to go,” he said with finality. “I’ll talk to you later.” Then, he ended the call.

“Kuroo-san!” he heard Lev yell from down the corridor. “The game’s about to start!”

Kuroo laughed, in spite of himself. “Oh, fuck me.”

 

  

Tsukishima could hardly breathe. What was Kuroo thinking, saying something so hurtful with so much fervor? Tsukishima clutched his chest to restrain his pounding heart from leaping out his body, but it did nothing but enhance his labored breathing. He was angry, and he paid no mind to prevent it from showing on his face when he came to practice that afternoon. His teammates gave him a wide berth, approaching Yamaguchi instead to inquire about him.

“What’s up with that guy?” Tanaka asked almost too loudly, looking pointedly at Tsukishima who was bouncing volleyballs with escalated force.

“Did something happen today, Yamaguchi?” Asahi asked. Yamaguchi shrugged nervously. “I wish I knew. He was fine when I met with him to have lunch. When we walked to the gym together from class, he already looked like he wanted to murder everyone. I was too scared to ask.”

Kageyama was the only one unfazed by Tsukishima’s intimidating aura. He motioned for Tsukishima to throw him a ball to toss, which the latter did begrudgingly.

“Are you gonna practice spikes?” Kageyama asked him.

“I’d feel absolutely honored for the King to toss to a lowly peasant,” he replied with unmasked sarcasm.

Kageyama shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but right now it looks more like _you’re_ the King of the Court.”

Tsukishima scowled. “What do you know?”

“Nothing,” Kageyama said. “And I personally don’t care to find out.”

“I would be surprised if you _did_ care about other people besides yourself.”

“Are you saying that to me, or to yourself?”

By the benches, Sugawara tapped Daichi’s shoulder. “Emergency on the court, captain.” Daichi sighed in resignation. “Kageyama, Tsukishima, that’s enough,” he yelled.

Tsukishima held his sullen glare on Kageyama who did likewise. Nishinoya and Hinata held onto each other in preparation for the imminent explosion from the tension, as did the rest of the team who subconsciously took a step back. Daichi and Ennoshita were about to come forward when Tsukishima averted his gaze to say, with a broken voice, “You’re right.”

Kageyama blinked. “I’m what?”

Tsukishima said nothing more as he turned away, walking over to the double doors of the gymnasium. Kageyama swiftly looked at the team, bewildered. Everyone else looked expectantly at Yamaguchi, who crumbled under the gaze before sprinting to catch up with Tsukishima.

Once outside, he found Tsukishima curled up on the ground, his back against the wall.

“Tsukki?” Yamaguchi panicked. “What’s the matter?”

“I’m fine,” Tsukishima mumbled.

“Come on.” Yamaguchi dropped himself beside Tsukishima and swung an arm around his shoulders. Quietly, he asked, “Did something happen between you and Kuroo-san?”

Tsukishima held his knees tighter.

Yamaguchi struggled to find the right words to say. He has witnessed Tsukishima beat himself up for his failures, but he has never seen Tsukishima look so dejected and on the brink of a breakdown. “Tsukki…”

In an instant, Tsukishima raised his head, and Yamaguchi eyes met Tsukishima’s tired ones.

“I think I’ll head home,” Tsukishima muttered under his breath. His stare was empty and lifeless, and Yamaguchi chose his words carefully. “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about it?”

“Yes.”

“Alright then. I’ll tell them.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Tsukishima stood, and meandered back inside the gym with Yamaguchi trailing behind. Tsukishima gathered his belongings and left without a word, leaving Yamaguchi to explain the situation to the third years.

 

 

But being on his own at home made Tsukishima feel even worse as he lied immobile on his bed. His phone was placed beside his pillow, and every minute that passed without a text or call from Kuroo crushed Tsukishima’s spirits more and more. He decided to just drift to sleep, but Kuroo’s face became even more vivid in his mind. He thumbed his phone. “I should call,” he tells himself. But he knew Kuroo wouldn’t be there to answer. Not right then. Maybe not ever.

It choked him.

 

 

He wondered how it all began. That afternoon finding Akiteru on the bleachers. That summer day when his sobbing mother met the mistress of her husband. That awkward birthday celebration meeting step-siblings he never knew existed. That late evening when he realized his mother went on a casual date with a man he never saw since, when she said she would be having dinner out with friends. 

The amount of deceit Tsukishima had witnessed throughout the course of his life has shaken him to the core until he altogether stopped putting faith in people and taking their word against his own.

He had become highly suspicious and distrusting, and he condoned optimism and farfetched promises. He closed himself up too, in effect. Even some secrets he had he couldn’t tell Yamaguchi, who was closest to him before Kuroo. He did harbor feelings of guilt when he couldn’t allow his walls to break around Kuroo, even as Kuroo exposed his whole self to him without hesitation. And still, Kuroo never pried. Kuroo never forced Tsukishima to confide. Kuroo knew all Tsukishima needed was time to trust Kuroo fully, no matter how long it took.

But even Kuroo had limits.

And Tsukishima wished he had never pushed those limits.

 

 

In the evening, he ate his dinner silently, avoiding dinner table conversations with his mother who accepted it as a normal occurrence. He quickly resigned to his bedroom, locking the door behind him, and checked his phone once more. One message. His heart skipped a beat. But his shoulders dropped when he found it was from Yamaguchi.

“Just call me if you want to talk about it,” it read.

Tsukishima tossed it back on his bed. He fidgeted, restless over the thought of not knowing how Kuroo was, or if Kuroo had meant what he said. He paced around his room, looking for his headphones to drown out the thoughts that were eating him. He hadn’t touched the damn things ever since he turned instead to texts and calls to Kuroo, something Kuroo considered as flattery.

The thought of Kuroo stung once again. “Where are my damn headphones?” he wanted to scream.

He jumped when he heard the knock on his door. “Kei?” he heard his mother say. “I’m done with my bath. You can have the bathroom now.”

Tsukishima didn’t reply.

“Kei?”

“Yeah. Thanks.”

“Akiteru’s also visiting tomorrow. He wanted me to let you know.”

Tsukishima balled his fist tight. “Okay.”

Tsukishima listened to his mother’s fading footsteps. Tsukishima couldn’t breathe. At the corner of his eye, he found his headphones.

 

 

2:18 AM, his bedside clock blared.

He stared, almost lifeless, at his phone. No blinks, no vibrations, no sign of Kuroo.

Tsukishima wanted to die.

Since when was he this obsessively hung up over the Nekoma captain that the mere thought of losing him meant losing himself? He felt so pathetic. He always chastised Kuroo for being too cheesy, too affectionate, and here he was head over heels and so…in love with him.

He buried his face on his pillow. He loved Kuroo, he really did. He rarely admitted it to Kuroo nor to himself, but he wanted to scream it at the top of his lungs that very moment. He wanted to will himself to call Kuroo to tell him those very words, but his pride overwhelmed him too much. Why was he letting his pride overwhelm him that much, anyway?

_Tetsurou…_

Loud rings woke him up from his stupor. He sat up in a jolt and eyed his clock. 3:22. His sleepy eyes lingered then to his ringing phone, screen illuminating the room. The caller ID made Tsukishima’s mouth run dry. He slowly picked up his phone and answered it, licking his lips before saying, “Hello?”

“…Hi.”

Tsukishima caught his breath. Half a day spent not hearing Kuroo’s voice made it sound so foreign to his ears.

“Could you come outside?” Kuroo whispered.

“Huh?”

“Come outside.”

Tsukishima stared at his door. He picked his glasses up and strode out, making his way to the front door which he swiftly opened to see Kuroo standing, hands shoved deep inside his sweater, face sullen.

Tsukishima stared at him with wide eyes. He wanted to reach out and hold Kuroo, but his body stayed frozen on the spot.

“Can we talk?” Kuroo said.

Tsukishima nodded his head slowly as he closed the door behind him. He and Kuroo sat on the steps, inches apart, gazing at the empty street before them. Tsukishima shivered from the November chill, and from the coldness that emanated from the man beside him.

“We won against Nohebi,” Kuroo started.

“That’s great,” Tsukishima replied.

“I meant to call you after. But I found myself running to the train station instead.”

Tsukishima swallowed hard.

“On my way here, I kept thinking,” Kuroo continued. “All this time, I’ve kept my emotions hidden. I wanted to be the “bigger person,” the one who stayed patient with you and understood your attitude. I thought that by being older than you, I had to take that responsibility upon myself. But all I was doing was hurting myself.”

Kuroo took out his hands from his pockets and rubbed them together. Tsukishima stared at the bandages around Kuroo’s fingers, wincing at the memory of the familiar feeling.

Kuroo said, “I was wrong to treat you like a child, in the sense that I was giving you way, consequently encouraging your behavior. I’m not blaming you for having trust issues; whatever happened in your childhood with your family was something beyond both of our control. But Kei,” Kuroo turned his head to face Tsukishima, “I’m your boyfriend. We’re supposed to have faith in each other. I trust you with my whole heart, but you… don’t. This isn’t a one-way street, Kei. We need to work together.”

Tsukishima curled and uncurled his hands. Kuroo instinctively hovered his hand over Tsukishima’s, but quickly withdrew it. “Were we too eager? Too swept up by our infatuation with each other without testing the waters?” Kuroo wasn’t directing to Tsukishima, but rather to the both of them, and to the gently evening breeze. “When I grow fearful about us, I talk to Kenma. He always tells me that I’m paranoid, and that I should never doubt you because if you stuck out this long tolerating me, then you really do like me.” Kuroo laughed weakly. “I’ve always listened to him. But now, I’m so unsure about everything.”

_I love you so much_ , Tsukishima screamed in his head.

Kuroo stared into the distance. “I don’t even know if you really do love me.”

_I do, Tetsurou_ , Tsukishima’s inner voice bellowed. _I really do_.

“Maybe we should take a break.”

The silence that filled the emptiness surrounding them lasted for a few seconds until Tsukishima keeled over and sobbed heavily. Kuroo’s mouth hung in alarm, and quickly enveloped Tsukishima in a tight embrace.

_Pathetic. You’re pathetic, Kei._

Tsukishima clutched onto Kuroo’s thick sweater and buried his tear-stained face onto Kuroo’s chest, unable to stop his whimpers.

“Fuck,” Kuroo whispered, rubbing Tsukishima’s heaving back, murmuring “I’m sorry”s and “I love you”s repeatedly. Tsukishima opened his mouth with intention to speak, but couldn’t find the voice to put his thoughts into words.

It was a quarter before 3 when Tsukishima calmed down, Kuroo still holding him tight. Tsukishima pulled away slowly, fixed his glasses, then stood, motioning for Kuroo to enter his house with him. They had straight to Tsukishima’s bedroom, Kuroo lagging behind after a brief struggle taking off his shoes by the door, and they both climb to bed, hand in hand, nose to nose.

“I’m sorry,” Kuroo told Tsukishima for the nth time. “Forget that I said anything.”

Tsukishima closed his eyes. “No, I’m the one who should apologize.” His voice was hoarse from crying, but he was glad he could finally say what he wanted to say. “You’re right. We can’t be together if we continue to doubt each other. I…” he let out a sigh. “I promise to open myself up to you more. I’ll try to. Please keep being patient with me.”

Kuroo squeezed Tsukishima’s hand in affirmation.

“I do love you, Tetsurou,” Tsukishima finally told him. “I’m sorry that you think I don’t. You deserve someone better.” He bit down on his lip. “But I can’t let you go. I’m so pathetic.”

Kuroo released his grip on Tsukishima’s hand to place his own on Tsukishima’s warm cheek. “Will you trust me?”

Tsukishima blinked.

“Kei,” Kuroo whispered. “ _Do_ you trust me?”

Without further hesitation, Tsukishima said, “Yes.”

 

 

They had sex for the first time that evening. Kuroo had prepared for the inevitability of it beforehand, so he fished out from his wallet brightly colored square packets of condoms. He glanced towards Tsukishima, who was surprised, but showed no sign of contention.

They kissed hungrily, passionately, like they did every moment they could to compensate for the distance. Clothes stripped away from each other, strewn across the floor beside Tsukishima’s box of dinosaur paraphernalia, Kuroo marveled at the younger’s nakedness, while the latter writhed in unease.

Lips touched skin, hands wandered, and restrained sounds of pleasure echoed the room. Tsukishima felt tense, and he was certain Kuroo could notice the way his body was growing rigid as Kuroo’s index finger lingered at his orifice. Kuroo cupped Tsukishima’s face with his free hand, and kissed him tenderly to ease him. Then, with one push, Kuroo dug his finger deep inside Tsukishima.

Tsukishima’s body twitched, wincing at the foreign sensation. Kuroo entered a second digit, keeping his eyes on Tsukishima’s face, bright red and contorted. With his other hand, Kuroo held Tsukishima’s shaft and began to swallow him whole, pushing in and out his orifice, fondling his sac. The several sensations Tsukishima endured made his body writhe, and he hoped the creaks from his bed could mask his embarrassing moans.

After some time, Kuroo pulled away and ripped the condom packet open, sliding the latex up his own length. He did the same with another condom to Tsukishima, saying, “So you won’t make a mess.”

Tsukishima gulped, gripping the sheets of his bed as Kuroo held his thighs up. He bit his lip in anticipation, but after a few long seconds of having his legs awkwardly angled upward with nothing coming in between them, he glanced over to Kuroo to see him… looking nervous?

“Uh,” Tsukishima said, snapping Kuroo out of his stupor. “Huh?” Kuroo replied, stupidly.

“Wow, Tetsurou, you’re _really_ blowing my mind,” Tsukishima muttered deadpan.

Kuroo’s face reddened. “I was just, uh, remembering what I read before. Yeah.”

Tsukishima lifted an eyebrow.

“W-we should have a safe word. Right?”

Tsukishima wanted to laugh. Kuroo wanted to dominate in bed, and Tsukishima had prepared himself to be the receiving end, but here Kuroo was acting so flustered and nervous as though handling something so fragile. But Tsukishima didn’t want to be rude, not with his legs still hoisted up. So he said, “Okay.”

Kuroo glanced out the window in thought. “What’s a word you’ll remember every time we do this?”

Without missing a beat, Tsukishima answered, “Pterodactyl.”

Kuroo stared at Tsukishima, bewildered. “What?”

“Uh, I don’t know,” Tsukishima averted his gaze with a light blush on his cheeks. It was his turn to feel embarrassed. “Your hair reminds me of a Pterodactyl at this angle.”

Kuroo ran a hand through his hair and laughed, weakly at first, then genuinely, his shoulders shaking. “You adorable dork.”

Tsukishima’s face reddened further as he attempted to shove Kuroo aside. “Ugh, get off of me.”

“No.” Kuroo pushed himself against Tsukishima’s body, holding him tight. “I travelled too far without any rest to _not_ bask in your cuteness.” Tsukishima rolled his eyes. At least it eased up the tension somehow.

When Kuroo sat back upright, he said, “Okay, we’re doing this. Okay.”

“If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”

“No, dammit, I’m gonna fuck you right now.”

Tsukishima gulped, surprised by the sudden aggression. He watched Kuroo slowly push himself in, and he drawled out a cuss until there was nothing left for Kuroo to enter.

Kuroo’s movements were slow and careful at first, allowing Tsukishima to get accustomed to them. “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Tsukishima gasped.

Kuroo’s pace accelerated, and Tsukishima’s pants grew more garish as did Kuroo’s own grunts that were in time with the steady slaps of thigh against thigh. Tsukishima squeezed Kuroo’s forearms and seethed through his teeth from the pain and pleasure he couldn’t bring himself to express audibly.

Tsukishima approached his limit.

He gasped, digging his nails on Kuroo’s back, as white liquid filled his condom. Kuroo maintained his thrusts until he, too, ejaculated inside Tsukishima with a contented sigh.

Kuroo withdrew his retracting penis, taking off both his and Tsukishima’s condoms carefully before wrapping them with tissue cloth from the box on Tsukishima’s drawer.

Tsukishima breathed heavily, his head spinning as the realization of having had sex with Kuroo for the first time became clearer. It felt so strange, so different, so inconceivable. He instinctively touched where Kuroo had just been, feeling awkward by his nudity and his being the receiving end.

Kuroo climbed back to bed after disposing of the used condoms, wrapping his arms around Tsukishima and leaning his head on the crook of Tsukishima’s neck.

“How do you feel?” Kuroo asked.

Tsukishima was about to shrug, but paused upon recollection of his earlier promise. “It feels weird,” he admitted. “I never imagined we’d go this far.”

“Do you regret it?”

Tsukishima shook his head. “I think,” he began slowly, “if there was anyone I could have done this with, I’m glad it was with you.”

Kuroo smiled his first smile that evening.

 

 

They ended up doing it 4 more times until Kuroo ran out of condoms and Tsukishima’s hole throbbed immensely. The sun was beginning to rise when they started putting their clothes back on, and Kuroo peered through the window, saying, “Do you watch sunrises often here?”

“I used to,” Tsukishima answered.

“Ah,” Kuroo said. “We don’t have that kind of luxury in Tokyo.”

Tsukishima hummed. He walked to where Kuroo stood leaving against the wall and staring at the bright orange rays that peeped through yellowing trees. Tsukishima bumped his shoulder lightly against Kuroo’s who slid his arms around Tsukishima’s waist. They stared at each other, studying every minute detail for when they’d have to endure weeks being miles apart. Tsukishima tipped his head slightly, brushing his chapped lips against Kuroo’s who gave chaste kisses in return.

“Did you mean what you said?” Tsukishima asked quietly.

“When?”

“Over the phone yesterday. Do you really wish you could break up with me sometimes?”

Kuroo sighed. “Kei, you’re a handful. This relationship is a handful. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I wish we could be better. Everything I said this morning at your door… yeah, all of it was true. But I’m sorry for them. Because no matter how much I doubt this, I still love you, and as long as you fight for me, I’ll keep fighting for you.”

Tsukishima’s breathing hitched. “Thank you, Tetsurou.”

“For what?”

“For telling me the truth.”

 

 

They spend the rest of the day in bed, sleeping in each other’s arms. Tsukishima awoke at one point, and he drowsily watched the rise and fall of Kuroo’s chest, his peaceful face, and the bandaged finger which Tsukishima lightly touched, grinning at the thought of them being so in-sync.

The second time Tsukishima awoke was a few hours past noon to find himself alone in bed. He groggily scanned the room and found no trace of Kuroo’s clothes previously strewn across the floor. He laid his eyes upon his own clothes folded neatly on his study chair, refusing to think it’s his mother’s doing.

The ache in his legs surfaced when he struggled to stand. _He fucks me, then leaves?_ He thought, rolling his eyes as he put on his evening pajamas.

Then, he hears muffled voices.

He glanced towards the door still closed and tiptoes towards it to quietly swing it open. The voices become clearer, and his heart drops when he finds them belonging to Kuroo and Akiteru.

“It’s like every look he gives me is guarded and suspicious,” Akiteru said. “It kills me with guilt every time.”

“Have you talked to him about it?” Kuroo replied.

“No. It’s been so awkward between us. He used to be so full of smiles and energy before. Now, I just can’t get through to him.”

Kuroo chuckled. “Well, I can’t say I disagree. When his team stayed in Tokyo for practice matches, it was difficult to get him to do anything. Like all of it was a burden to him. Everyone else was going out of their way to improve, but he was adamant. Being a middle blocker like he was, I tried to reach out to him. There was a struggle, but in the end he just came to me. The thing with people like Ke– _Tsukki_ is that you have to be really patient with them, and show them reasons to trust you. It’s difficult, it really is, but if you open yourself up to him without expecting him to do the same right away, he’ll eventually warm up to you again.”

Akiteru stared at Kuroo. “Whoa, Kuroo-san. It’s like you know Kei like the back of your hand.”

Kuroo laughed nervously. “Well, he’s like a brother to me, you know? And-and I always look out for my bros.”

Tsukishima smiled in spite of himself. Then, putting his best neutral face, he swung the door open fully and emerged from his room to join the two conversing at the dinner table.

“I’m glad that Kei has someone looking out for him,” Akiteru said. “Wait, where did you say you were from again?”

“Oh, Nii-chan,” Tsukishima butted in, “I didn’t know you were arriving this early.”

“Kei!” Akiteru said, sitting up straight, “Yeah, I wanted to rest up after my commute.”

Tsukishima looked at Kuroo who was grinning stupidly at him. “Why do you look like that?” Tsukishima couldn’t help but ask.

“I’m sorry I kept you up last night that you had to miss classes,” Kuroo replied. “My impulsiveness was too much. Luckily Akiteru-san was here to talk me out of it.”

Akiteru laughed. “Well, a responsible adult needs to guide children to the right path, am I right?”

Tsukishima stared at Kuroo with wild confusion, but decided not to press the matter further. “I’m gonna take a shower. Practice starts soon.”

“Okay,” Akiteru answered. “And then eat something before you leave, you get skinnier by the day.”

“Don’t worry Akiteru-san. I made sure that your brother was full from taking in so much than he can last night. He’s good.”

Tsukishima fought the urge to punch Kuroo in the face.

 

 

“What the fuck did you tell my brother?” Tsukishima asked with genuine curiosity as he and Kuroo walked towards Karasuno.

“About what? The reason why I came over, or…?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Oh, about how your troubled friend from Tokyo sought shelter from the cold autumn winds as he ran away from home to travel the world?” Kuroo replied with a smirk. “He actually bought it _and_ gave me brotherly advice. He’s unbelievably gullible, but a really nice guy. Were you really as cute and bubbly as he claimed you were?”

“Only Yamaguchi has lived to tell that tale.”

“Now, I’m jealous.”

Tsukishima checked his watch. “By the way, Tetsurou, thank you for, uhm, saying those things to my brother.”

“Yeah, well.” Kuroo shrugged. “I don’t think he deserves to feel constantly weighed down by guilt.”

Tsukishima stayed silent.

“If there’s one thing we have in common, it’s that we care a lot about you. You’re not an easy guy to be around, but if people get to know who you are beneath all your salty layers, they’ll find that you’re a great person. He shouldn’t give up on you. I know I wouldn’t.”

They both shuddered from the sudden breeze that swept them by, and Kuroo instinctively touched Tsukishima’s free hand. Tsukishima’s hand twitched, and Kuroo, getting the hint, shoved his hands back down his coat. Tsukishima glanced at his own hand, feeling sheepish, and shoved them down his own pants as well.

“You should come to Tokyo next time,” Kuroo said after a while of silence.

“Why would I do that?”

“To visit me, duh? You were the one who said it’s better if you visited me there rather than me going here because it’s much safer, and look at where we are now.”

Tsukishima sneered. “You’ve actually done me a lot of harm tainting my attendance record by being here, you asshole.”

“Oh, thank god,” Kuroo said, putting his hand to his chest. “You had been so decent to me the entire night last night, I thought your sarcasm ceased to exist.”

“Shut it.”

“I love you too.”

Tsukishima tripped, and Kuroo simply laughed.

“Seriously though,” Kuroo said, “Visit me too. And if you’re up to it, I could drag in Bokuto.”

“I’m not the type to like threesomes.”

It was Kuroo’s turn to trip. “I meant—what? No! Bokuto’s—ugh, now I can’t get the image out of my head!”

Tsukishima laughed genuinely, and Kuroo needed a moment to take the sight in. He sighed, “I’ll miss you.”

Tsukishima blushed. “Yeah, me too.”

“Do well in practice today.”

“Thanks. I’ll just, uh, give you a heads up about Tokyo.”

Kuroo’s face beamed. “Okay.”

“Oh, and I just wanted you to know that...” Tsukishima held out his hand waiting for Kuroo to take it. “…that if anyone asked me about you, and about us, I wouldn’t deny it either.”

Kuroo took a look around and, finding no one looking their way, kissed Tsukishima’s cheek. “Call me after practice.”

“Stay safe.”

“I will.”

After one last hug, Tsukishima walked to the gymnasium with an added spring to his step.

At least, with an added spring his still aching legs and sore ass could manage.


End file.
